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Enverres
Enverres Enverres is the largest country in the west and arguably the most powerful. They are a peaceful country and have orchestrated the peace and trading between the races to the north and the Ter'ays to the south. They are often the focal point in political matters and unite the other four nations in times of trial. A few terms to clarify: Enverres: The country of Enverres. Fudorians: The people of Enverres. The people who lived in the 6 provinces that eventually became unified as a single country were called Fudoris. The country took its name from the biggest of the 6 provinces that united them under the rule of one king, and the provinces names were later modified, but the original name of the people stuck. Nevordis: The English translation of the name of the language of the Fudorians (literally translates to "common tongue"). The Fudorians all spoke a common dialect between them, even before the provinces were united, hence when they were unified, they officially began calling the language Nevordis. The Country Before the country of Enverres was united, and before the six provinces were formed, the Fudorian people were nomadic, and roamed the forests, valleys and meadows of their lush country. Naturally, admist these roaming clans, there rose those who were more prominant, more skilled or more revered by their fellows. These clans became known as the Bid'hair, and even when the rest of the Fudorians began to cling to the land and settle down, the Bid'hair gypsies continued to roam free. Even in modern terms, the Bid'hair royalty are still considered equivalent to the Dukes in social hierarchies. The distinction is said to be that while the rest of the Fudorian race took ownership of areas of land, the Bid'hair owned the gateways to the Realms and the elements of the lands owned by the Fudorians. Because these things might touch upon the same land, but are not the same locations, co-ownership of some places was not considered a contradiciton, but rather a partnership of responsibility. Thus, the bid'hair are free to travel in their circles, and because of this have become powerful merchants and messengers between Dukes and Kings, Knights and Nobles. 'Geography: ' The country of Enverres stretches coast to coast, forming a complete barrier between the Ter'ays to the hot southern lands, and Teridi Koholo and Briandyna to the frigid north. Enverres is perhaps the most wealthy in natural resources of the western nations, and because of this their people have become peaceable and generous to their neighbours. Originally, when the Fudorians first began laying claim to the land, their earliest ancestors were said to have found the land to be inhabited by a 25 foot Demon sleeping across the valleys. In the night, they gathered all of their men and attacked the beast, binding him to the earth and lacerating him with all their tiny weapons untilt he old Demon died. It was said that it was the aftermath of his death, in which the fudorians claimed the land "freed from his tyranny" for themselves that the Southern Giants and Northern Ancients decided to run the gambit of creating their immortality to protect themselves from such assaults. On a note of interest, the Demon slain was none other than the father of Sarmin, the Demon of Death, and it was because of their crima against him that he always attacked the mortals so mercilessly, thus gaining his Domain. After the land was free to them, the Fudorians did not remain united, and instead broke off into their separate fealty or family groups and took to the curious exploration of their new lands. They fanned out from the Craggy Mountains of the northeast to the lush meadows of the central Lake Lands, to the wild Coastal Forests of the far west. In time the Fudorians developed preferences for certain areas and began to settle down, building first storehouses to which they would return, and then the storehouses became castles and settlements, and the settlements grew, and alternate cities were constructed. Then the question of borders between the lands began to arise. The first skirmishes of these sorts began in 127PT when the leader of the settlements of the Lake Lands, Dennoum, named himself King of Pahlohs. In reaction, Arnalt named himself King of the Sea-Kissed Coast, and called his country Enverres. King Dennoum and King Arnalt fought for three years, finally establishing borders between them. However, in 129PT - 1 year before the borders of Pahlohs and Enverres were agreed upon - a new King was established in the Forests north of Pahlohs, one Smaltez who began threatening Dennoum from the northwestern reaches of his lands. King Dennoum responded swiftly, and though he lost some of his lands in the ensuing fighting, in only two years borders were decided upon, and Arannes was formed. There was relative peace and prosperity for the next few years until 144PT when two prospering communities named their leading lord kings: Esberym of the Valley Lands and Kerus of the Coastal Forests. These two fought amongst themselves on and off gaining and losing lands for nearly two years, before they made peace so that they could concentrate on their outer borders, uniting forces long enough to push back the aging King Dennoum. King Smaltez came to his aid - partially because his own forest lands were being encroached upon - and by 148PT peace was made between them, forming the official borders of Kerus' land of Udlaonone and Esberym's Lathamere. These nations prospered and developed further, their kings aged and passed on their thrones to their sons, and a young lord of Arannes moved out into the Craggy Mountains and settled there. This young lord swiftly tapped into the ores of the mountains, the wealth of the forests, the raw magics in the untamed earth and swelled in power and support of his people until finally in 160PT he assaulted the borders of Arannes, Enverres and Pahlohs. With his might of well-trained, well-equipped soldiers he fought until they conceded him a kingship and borders to his lands of Farlene. Thus the six provinces of the Fudorian people were established. All throughout these developing years, the Kings would often consult with each other in matters of news and commerce, trading both goods and daughters between them for bonds of trade and loyalty. More than once, two or more of the Enverres kings would combine their forces and efforts to defend against the tumult of the developing nations of Ter'ays or Teridi Koholo which had remained nomadic longer than they had and were only beginning to sort out their own borders and cities. Over the years 160-165PT their outer boundaries were agreed upon with the neighbouring Briandynians, Koholeans and finally the Ter'ays. The Ter'ays proved the most ornery, and the most likely to go back on their peace agreements, and so it was in the War of 163PT when the Ter'ays combined their efforts to attack the southern reaches of the Fudorian nations that the then king of Enverres, Jeddah, convinced the other Fudorian monarchs to combine their lands into one country of strength. "As we are one people," King Jeddah was quoted as saying, "so we should show one force! Together we hold more power, more wealth and more knowledge of these lands than any other mortal creature. Why should we let some foreign race take our hard-won treasures from us when we have the key to defeat them in our grasp! Let us set aside pride and grievance to arise victorious as one potent force that our enemies will shy from challenging ever after!" Not only did King jeddah lead the Fudorian people to a glorious victory, but he also convinced the other kings to give up their crowns for circlets. King Jeddah insituted the new caste of Shar, or Dukes and Duchesses that ranked equal with the Queen, with only the King paramount to them. Thus, in 165PT, Enverres became the name of the whole country, its provincial name changing to Rie'sone, as the other borderlands were left unchanged and simply became the provinces of the united nation. Arranes became aran'sone, Udlaonone became Udlao'sone, Farlene became Far'sone, Pahlohs became Pah'sone and Lathamere became Lath'sone. These borders and balances of power remain unchanged to this day. 'Monarchy:' The Monarchy as it currently exists consists of the reigning King, his Queen, his Princes and Princesses. The King, while he maintains veto power and holds King's Court for matters of state and culture, makes no decision regarding the country's wellfare, politics or future without consulting his Council, which contains the 6 Dukes of Enverres or their Viscount representatives, the Knights of the Imperial Cities and if in the area or affected by discussions, the Bid'hair Kings or their Nak'hair'aya representatives. The King can reign so long as he is hale, his throne being passed down to his declared heir (almost always his eldest son) on his deathbed. Occassionally the King will abdicate his throne earlier due to prowess shown by his son, frailty of health on his own part, or occassionally because the King wishes freedom from rule as did King Sorus Clearsight (1339-1379PT). On these occassions, the prince will be coronated in a different ceremony before ascending to the throne, which sometimes is combined with his marriage to his future queen if he is not already betrothed or married. Though the initially was a hereditary blood line of the Kings of Enverres, it was broken several times throughout the years due to disease, sterility, lack of heirs (in homosexual Kings, though they are not admitted in the records as this being the cause), murder and usurping the throne or warfare. At one time it was infact the Bid'hair kings who sat on the Lieh'neh throne, but since then the land-holders have regained reign. In the case of an oldest son being infirm or otherwise unable to rule, a younger son may be proclaimed Crowned Prince, and will take the throne at the appointed time. When there is no male heir, the King may either choose to marry his eldest daughter off to a high-ranking nobleman he approves of or he may name as heir a nephew or cousin. As there is some leeway here dependant n the choices available or due to the King's personal preference, there have been some feuds over the years over the "rightful" heir to the throne. The other thing to take into account is the existence of bastard sons, who occassionally have inherited the throne, either lawfully or through foul play that could not be directly proven to be connected to the bastard heir. The King holds daily King's Court in the morning at which any briefings, news, announcements, awards and supplicants may be addressed. In the evening is King's Feast, at which visiting Knights, noblemen and other dignitaries may attend to feast and enjoy the king's hospitality, exchange gossip, play games or enjoy entertainment. The Dukes of Enverres also hold court daily, called Duke's Court. These "feeder courts" deal with local matters, smaller issues and dispence justice within their provinces that need not bother the King directly. Within their province, the Duke's word is law. When there is contention over a sentance or if the issue happens on the border lands between provinces, the issue may be resubmitted at the King's court, but these are rarely admitted unless the issue is grave enough to warrant attention (such as injustice on the part of the Duke, in-fighting between Dukes, or matters of prophecy). The dukes do not hold nightly Feasts, but do throw Duke's Feasts to welcome important guests, including the King's entourage, an Imperial Knight or other celebrities of the day. The Bid'hair Kings can trace their lineage back to the times before the provinces were formed, when Zanu King of Arduors (said to be the first "king"), Nagali Black Mouth, Feos Sky Breaker and Emla Swift Twirler were the legends of the hearts of men and the talk of folktale and song. Since then they have kept close ties on family relations, and are generally a very tight-knit group, eager and ready to die for their loved-ones and kin. They tend to be a bit more hot-blooded than their land-holding conspecifics, and have been known to terrorize and obliterate whole families of men or women who injured one of their bretheren. They follow their hereditary lines through the mothers of their children, rather than by the father (who in the looser terms of marriage practised by the bid'hair can become questionable) and thus have kept a very distinct line of lineage through the ages. These lnies of lineage are a huge part of their social and musical culture, and are passed down the generations in both oral and written traditions. 'Government: ' The Government is composed of the Nobles of Office caste and are all selected and appointed civil servants. The highest levels of government are the Kinghts of the Orders, namely the Knights of the Imperial Cities, of which there are 16, who are charged with keeping the peace and communicating important happenings. Each of these Knights reports directly to the reigning King and are often close friends and trusted advisors of the King. The Knights have a body of loyal men beneath them, both fighters they have Knighted to help keep the peace and laypeople who run the cities, farms and trade routes. Beneath the Knights are appointed Magnates who act as representatives for the major cities around the country. Each Magnate is recognized by both Duke's and King's Court as the official representative of the city and the common people who live there. While normal Common Castes are not allowed to appear directly at King's Court unless they have a noble sponsor, the Magnates speak for those Commoners with an issue that deserves attention. The Magnates are selected by the Duke or King or Imperial Knight for merit, service and skill. Magistrates are similar to Magnates and sometimes work together in larger cities. In smaller towns or hamlets where there is no appointed Magnate, there is always a Magistrate, who - like a mayor - organizes local law response, settles disputes, dispenses local justice, upkeeps schoolhouses on their annual budget, oversees preparations for holidays and tends to overall care of the town/city/hamlet etc. If a Magistrate is faced with an issue he cannot deal with, is in need of money for his township, is under attack or becomes privy to important information that should be passed forward, he imparts this information to the nearest Magnate who then approaches Duke or King. Monasteries and Convents should be mentioned in this section. While they do not have say or interest in the governing of the country or its current affairs, these ecclesiastic institutions are the ones who run the hospitals, charities, disaster response to things like flood, fire and earthquake, and also take care of training and tutoring both apprentices and laypeople. 'Military:' The military is two fold in Enverres: the soldiery and the Orders of Knights. The soldiery is only conscripted in times of impending war or alert, and is made up of the able-bodied males of the Commoner Castes between the ages of 17 and 59. Usually these are famers, tradesmen, students, woodsmen, gypsies, apprentices and lesser merchants. They are trained as footsoldiers in the use of a sword, pike or other polearm, bow or seige machine. They are generally embarrassingly undertrained compared to the basic footsoldiers of Ter'ays or Teridi Koholo, but are not generally put to much use. There are many kinds of Knights, though a standard Knight is a soldier trained to fight cavalry style from the back of an arduor with any weapon he chooses. Knights of this kind are the lowest level of Knight in the social heirarchy, but as still professional fighters, making their money from doing public service, policing, bodyguarding, patrolling or other civil duties. They are trainined rigourously every day and generally live in and around the city of the Knight who knighted them. There are also the Orders of Knights, including the Imperial Knights, the Nak'hair'aya and the sixteen Orders of Knights. The Imperial Knights 'are the 16 men personally knighted by the King to govern the 16 Imperial Cities. While each King has the right to select a different Knight to take over the Imperial Cities, usually Imperial Knights hold their position for life, though they have no claim to the title that can be inherited. These 16 Knights are considered of the highest Order of Knights and can all knight other knights. Over the years each of the Imperial Knights has founded a suborder of knights that are tied to the founding Imperial city, rather than to the man who was in power at the time. It has become a part of that Imperial Knight's duties to train and oversee these other Orders. '''The Order of the Sun ' (Rotalis – Rie’sone) Like the Order of Lace, the Order of the Sun is also the personal guard of the royal family, but these are the King’s men, hand-picked fighters to live in Lieh’neh and to be on patrol and duty to defend the monarchy at the slightest notice. They are selected for their devotion, honesty, obedience, fidelity and hard-working nature. 'The Order of the Sword '(Kandu – Rie’sone) The Order of the Sword is the more offensive version of the Order of the Shield. Said to be the crème de la crème of the fighters in the ranks of Knights, those of the Order of the Sword are adventure seekers, fighting monsters, beasts, injustice and other sources for honour and fame. 'The Order of the Shield '(Orsis – Rie’sone) The Order of the Shield is one of the oldest orders in Enverres, originally banded to defend Enverres from the assaults of the Ter’ays to the south. Since the threat of Ter’ays invasion has declined over the years, the Order of the Shield has widened their scope and now directs their efforts at protecting the country on a more political level. The Order of the Shield is sent in as ambassadors, negotiators, to defend honour of the righteous in their hour of need. They are an extremely well-trained group of fighters, versatile in many weapons and on many types of terrain. 'The Order of Lace '(Syndan – Rie’sone) This Order of Knights is devoted to defending the honour of ladies and maidens from the abuse and deflowering of men. They are one of the most chivalrous of all the orders and relish tales of prowess in which they rescued or defended some damsel in distress. Amusingly enough, the Knights of this Order are the most adored by the damsels they defend, and have a habit of selecting attractive, younger knights for their ranks. Etiquette and rank are important to the Order of Lace. The Order of Lace also is responsible for defending the Queen and Princesses on Enverres as their personal guards. '''The Scarlet Order ''(Altik – Far’sone)'' The Scarlet Order is the national guard for the cities of Enverres, and every major city has at least one resident Scarlet Knight to defend them. There is an unspoken rule that as a Knight grows older he will be reposted to smaller and smaller hamlets where he is less and less likely to be confronted with a need to defend his citizens. Knights of the Scarlet Order are generally more sedentary than other groups, willing to settle down in one area. They also are less likely to marry than many other Knights and are required to have good leadership, public affairs and peace-keeping skills, as well as a strong sword-arm. The Order of the Leaf '(Fudom – Far’sone) The Order of the Leaf defends the forests and games lands of Enverres from poachers, bandits and vagabonds. While they occasionally clash with the Bid’hair, this Order is typically a peace-keeping group. Order of the Leaf travel in groups or Patrols of 6 to 20 knights and generally each have their own area to maintain, including any road ways, monasteries, mills or other features of the land they defend. The Order of the Leaf is the scourge of highwaymen. Though they originated in the north, there are now groups of Order of the Leaf stationed all over Enverres. '''The Order of the Cowl '(Obelle – Far’sone) For all matters covert or secretive, Order of the Cowl members are called in. Members of this Order are often – but not always – witches, prophets or possess unique skills. They are sworn to a life of celibacy and solitude, and cannot marry. Order of the Cowl members are mysterious, but highly intelligent, and their origins are usually wiped from the records when they join the Order of the Cowl. They serve the monarchy, though there is rumour that they have another master hidden away somewhere, though who this master is, is debatable. Some like to claim it is the old King Nestelhan who did not actually die but preserved himself using the spell of immortality created by the Northern Ancients. The origins of the Order itself are equally unknown, and no one is quite sure when they originated. Regardless, when a member of the Order of the Cowl shows up, other Knights defer to them. 'The Order of the Tower '(Plaush – Aran’sone) The Knights of the Tower are trained in battle magics and other casting magics. They are those who combine fighting prowess with magical aptitude. They are generally selected from upper class castes, but they are willing to take anyone who shows promise. They begin training their squires as ages as young as 7 to become full-fledged Knights when they grow old enough. The secret training practices of the Knights of the Tower are highly guarded. They are especially fond of elemental magic, spells, charms, enchantments, alchemy and Illusions. 'The White Order '(Feurnap – Aran’sone) Like the Grey Order, the White Order have also pledged themselves to a purpose, but for them it is to serve the gods and keep them on good terms with the Fudorian people. They are paladins of a sort, and also somewhat like clerics. They have different branches devoted to each of the 13 Gods, each with their own distinctive talismans. They are stationed in and around the monasteries, temples, churches and convents throughout Enverres and are all ecclesiastically sourced. Those who have entered into the life of monk or priest and prove to have too much “fight” in them to be a good man of the cloth is generally trained to become a Knight of the White Order. 'The Order of the Troubadour '(Beffair – Lath’sone) This Order of Knights have dedicated themselves to communication and spend their entire lives of service travelling around the countryside picking up information and music, culture and history and composing. In order to be accepted into the Order of the Troubadour you have to be a skilled fighter, genteel in mannerisms, charismatic, musically talented and possess a love of travel. Unlike many of the other Orders that work together as a platoon or other such group, the Knights of the Troubadour travel on their own with whatever servant or man-at-arms they wish and spend their nights wherever fate takes them. They return to Beffair or the Court of either a Duke or the King once a year. 'The Order of the Lake '(Iilset – Lath’sone) The Order of the Lake, like the Order of Tears and the Order of the Cowl is secretive and mysterious in their goals. They train their members out on the island sanctuaries in the central lakes of Enverres in fighting techniques and channeling prowess. It is said that an accomplished Knight of the Lake is capable of deflecting incoming blows without lifting their weapons, of stopping an opponent in his tracks with a mere glance and are incredibly hard to kill. The Order of the Lake is the smallest Order of Knights and arguably the hardest requirements to meet. They are also sworn to celibacy, chivalry and a life of service to their King to the extent that their oath includes a line that goes “Death to my mother should she step between me and my King”. This is said to be taken from the life of Sahmoah, the Imperial Knight who initiated the Order of the Lake in 1000PT after he was forced to kill his own mother in the Battle of Heroes. 'The Ochre Order '(Ensha – Pah’sone) This Order is devoted to defending the Nobility and merchants of Enverres. They guard the major roads, trade routes and will hire themselves out to caravans, trade groups, banks or holding houses. The Ochre Order is a bit mercantile in nature, and their knights generally have personal interest in the goods of wealthy patrons they defend. They are sometimes accused of abusing their station to seduce young women or gamble, and there are some whose prowess in defense depends on how much they are paid. Still, Knights of the Ochre Order are only selected if they have proven themselves in battle, gladiator tournaments, or other feats of arms. 'The Jet Order '(Liamak – Pah’sone) Like the White Order, the Jet Order has also dedicated itself to a group of deities, but whereas the White Order serve the gods, the Jet Order placates the Demons. They practice sacrifice, casting magics, enchantments, divinations or skrying and warding, and generally like to have Prophets among their ranks. The Jet Order and White Order are bitter enemies and there have been cases where members of one or the other Order have declined appearing at a Court Summons because of the presence of the other. 'The Order of the Rock '(Arden – Udlao’sone) The Order of the Rock is accorded to those men who live a life of service or commit a heroic act. Unlike many other Orders that require or heavily stress high birth, the Order of the Rock is a mottled crew of ex-bandits, farmers who performed excellent military service, innocent bystanders who rose to the aid of their neighbours in times of need. The Knights of the Rock are distinguished by their altruism, courage, and defense of the weaker or less able citizens of their country. They are also known for their lack of discrimination, treating even the lowest of common prostitutes like high-born ladies of class. For this good behaviour, huge hearts, kindness and selflessness they are respected as true Knights no matter their origins. There are, however, a few of the older Orders of Knights or those that exclusively select high born members for their ranks that claim Knights of the Rock are not a “true Order”. The Order of the Rock is also the only Order that will posthumously award the title of Knight to one who might’ve deserved the rank had they lived. 'The Order of Tears '(Seddsed – Udlao’sone) The Order of Tears are often considered tragic Knights, and generally fall into the ranks due to loss, tragedy, misfortune or repentance for some great crime. Many of the Order of Tears at one time had committed some crime that they are serving penance for, though this is not a requirement. All members of the Order of Tears take a voluntary vow of lifelong celibacy and a vow of silence – some even go so far as to cut out their own tongues in their oath ceremony. The Knights of Tears daily perform ablution, self-abuse or hard labour to remind themselves of their transgressions and sins. The end result is that the Knights of Tears are so removed and dead to the temptations and joys of this life that they turn their full energy and determination to any task to which they are assigned. Through their self-punishment they have come to master pain, through their penance they have come to master their emotions, and with all their ties to the world cut they have truly become fighting machines. 'The Grey Order '(Kolsuks – Udlao’sone) This order of Knights have willingly damned themselves to embrace power enough to defend their country and people from creatures of other Realms, especially of the Realm of the Grey. In order to become a member of the Grey Order’s ranks, one must have intentionally or unintentionally slipped into another Realm. Each of the Knights of this Order are tainted or touched in someway by their experiences. They are one of the most secretive and least social of the orders of knights. Many of them have seeming physical disabilities, scarring, outlandish appearances, and all of them are said to “smell or feel wrong”. 'The Nak'hair'aya '(Bid'hair Knights) These nomadic gypsies have been distinguished by either Bid'hair Kings or Queens are are one of the most revered and prestigious of the Bid'hair clans. Even the land-holding Fudorians recognize the rank and title of a Nak'hair'aya. It is said that to become a Nak'hair'aya, one must go into the wilderness alone for 4 cycles of the larger moon (4 months - 128 days) and during this time survive only off what falls into their path. If they come across a stream or it rains they may drink, if an animal comes across them they may catch and consume it, if fungus or plant grows up around them they may eat it. In this state of faith in the patterns of the world and semi-fasting, the Bid'hair becomes more and more in tune with the elements, nature and his or her own nature (note that this is the only order of Knights that accepts women members). During this time alone (and it varies widely on the individual), either on their second day or 120th day, they will be pulled into one of the other Realms. In this other Realm they must collect some souvineir (generally a piece of that Realm's Realm Craft) and bring it back with them to their King/Queen. To have succeeded in this task is grounds for respect alone, and the Bid'hair monarch grants them the title of Nak'hair'aya after a night of revelry welcoming the traveller back to the family. These revelries last all night into the following morning in which the new Nak'hair'aya retells their adventure, displays their new artefact, drinks, dances, sings, carouses and eventually takes any number of nubile young gypsies to bed with them. 'Knights of Enverres '(Lesser Knights, Commoner Knights and Knights belonging to no Order) Any fighter who has been Knighted by another Knight (or a Duke or a King) for reasons of prowess, service or recommendation. This gives them the right and ability to fight from Arduor back in a squirmish. Note that if a non-knighted Commoner caste is attacked, legally they may either flee on arduor or dismount and fight. This also means that the Bandit Clans on Enverres (of which there are at least 6 official Clans) are also not mounted. Therefore, a Commoner Caste can rise to Knighthood, but this does not make them a Lord, they merely become the highest rank within their caste. Usually these are merely members of the standing army that can be called upon for peace keeping, law enforcement or war. But to be made a Knight requires a meeting of standards, only one of which is fighting prowess, so generally these unaligned Knights eventually are taken into one of the Orders of Knights. Occassionally, but rarely, there have been nomadic Knights who have refused to swear fealty to anyone other than their King or Duke. '''Crime: Crime in Enverres is punished by any number of methods depending on the severity of the crime and the caste to which the perpetrator belongs. Sentances are passed by the local Magistrate, highest ranking Knight, Duke or ultimately the King. There are rare occassions when a King has transgressed, and his advisor (usually his Father, most trusted Knight, cousin or ecclesiastic figure) will pronounce a sentance. Public Castigation '(Lower Nobility (in court) Commoners (in the street)) The perpetrator is publicly flogged by an authority figure (such as a spouse, parent, minister, caretaker etc.) While being beaten, their wrongs are innumerated by those harmed by their actions. This type of punishment is meant to embarass the perpetrator and make their peer groups aware of their faults so that they will be less likely to repeat their mistakes. This sort of punishment is used in response to minor thefts, perjury, slander, infidelity, or damage of property. '''Whipping Paraiahs '(Nobility) When the perpetrator is one of rank - generally the highest ranks of nobility or one of extremely high wealth or power - their favourite servant, mistress, lover, or favourite friend with a lower rank than themselves is whipped and/or beaten by an authority figure while the perpetrator is restrained and forced to watch. This is to show them their fault and discourage them from repeating their mistake. This is usually used as a method to straighten out unruly behaviour in those intended to fill authority positions when they mature. Rowdyness, gambling, permiscuity, public indecency and infighting with other nobles are all punished in this way. 'Tekaios or Purdaios '(The Box or The Pit; Commoners) The perpetrator is placed in whichever of these is available for use. The Tekaios is an iron barred cell-like box, and the Purdaios is a pit cut out of the earth that is about 8 feet deep and covered with an iron grate. The length of time left in these containers depends on the offense, in extreme cases being left to die there. While imprisoned anyone who knows of the crime can come to spit upon, urinate on, throw rotten food or manure or mud at them, and even prod them with sticks or pelt them with stones. Aside from being publicly humiliating, the perpetrated slowly starves and succumbs to illness from the elements they are exposed to and the abuse of their fellow citizens. This punishment is visited upon those who are guilty of theft, battery, murder, damage to property, neglect leading to disaster and any other number of serious crimes. 'Branding ' (Lower Nobility and Commoners) Branding - being such a permenant punishment - is visited only on those crimes which are considered Unforgiveable. There are different letters corresponding to different crimes: K is for Kletoi or those guilty of Murder; F is for Fesdumoni or those guilty of perjury or treason leading tot he death of an innocent; S is for Serusdoi or rape resulting in death; D is for Derusvei or one Unfit to Rule and is the charge against proven cruelty or excessive abuse of power; G is for Genson or a Bandit or perpetual theif, vagabond or outlaw; N is for Nermun or a Deflowerer or Seducer in the sense of leading a maid into false hope and promising to marry them in order to seduce them and then leaving them lessened in worth. In cases where the crime is not repented the branding may be followed up with Tekaios or Purdaios. For instance, a murder we might consider mandslaughter might merely be branded and then released, whereas a coldly calculated murder would be further punished by being put into Tekaios or Purdaios. 'Castration ' (Nobility and Commons) Castration is the punishment for discovered homosexual relationships (for women it is a cauterizing of the labia). In noble elicit relations, only the lover is castrated, whereas in Commoner relationships both partners are thus punished. There have been times and places where confidants to an elicite relationship have 'ratted' them out to officials. There is even a play that goes through phases of popularity about a pair of male lovers who were discovered and punished called "Balthieri Morahn" or the Earthquake of Hearts written by playwrite Buson Vesseri in 2678PT. Many have criticized this work as being highly symphathetic and accuse Vesseri of himself being a homosexual on the grounds that he remained unmarried. Still, this crime is one that is often happily ignored so long as it doesn't interfere with other's lives or become publicly known. 'Cutting out the Tongue '(Commoners) This is the punishment for chronic slander, verbal treachery or treason, perjury impeding justice, or untruthful gossiping. Note that there is an order of Monks and Nuns called The Silent Watch who have all had their tongues out. They administer penance to the condemned or dying. 'Tenumi Vaiyas '(The chain of the Dog; Lower Nobility and Commoners) When one has betrayed his master to grave offence, and especially when the exact offense is not wished to be made public, the perpetrator may be dragged through the streets (or at court for higher ranking perpetrators), in a dog collar and chain to teach him/her the meaning of obedience and to humiliate them. This is often the offence for finding an underling in relations with one's wife or daughter without proclaiming that one's own wife had been unfaithful or one's daughter is now deflowered. 'Jail '(Nobility, Commoners and foreigners) When a sentance or judgment has not yet or cannot (in the case of Kings, sacred ecclesiastics or foreign ambassadors) be passed, the perpetrator is left in the jail cells until a decision is reached. The Royal Cells (a practise picked-up and mimicked by the Dukes) is 1 cell in the jailhouse in Lieh'neh always kept free and called The King's Chamber (or the Duke's Chamber) to remind the ruler of generosity, honesty, fairness and benevolence of rule. The practise started in 1714PT when the Knight's Council jailed King Leonand for grotesque abuse of power in the form of rape of several ladies of court (a few of whom were wives of gentlemen of court), unreasonable taxation, excessive banquets that drained the treasury and larders both, refusal to hear any matter brought to him by Knights or Magnates and physical heavy-handedness with all his men and servants. 'Trade: ' Enverres is a rich trade partner, and has almost exclusive supplies of wood which are prised and utilized by all nations of the west. They also have a fair crop of grains, root vegetalbes, leafy vegetables, fruit orchards and game meat (land and fowl). Their fishing is ample in the seasons of spring and summer, but mostly in freshwater river and lake breeds, rather than the salty deep sea fishes. Their wools and cottons are of good quality, though this trade is really only between them and the Koholeans as the Ter'ays find them too hot to wear. They have a limited amount of stone and ore, but primarily import these from Val Nyes, Teridi Koholo and Briandyna. They also do a fair trade in breeding livestock and steeds. Where Enverres really makes its mark in trade is in policy and organization. The Merchant's Road, which starts in Ter'ays and runs through western Enverres to Teridi Koholo. The maintenance of this road is organized by the Fudorians, and while the funds for repairs in Koholean and Ter'ays portions of the road are paid for by their Merchant's guilds, the organization of the labour forces is done by the Fudorians. The Fudorians also police the Road with their Knights to ensure the safety of the merchants transporting goods, and therefore it has become a popular road for lone travellers as they are less likely to be molested by bandits, rapists and other outlaws. 'International Relations: ' Enverres is the unofficial leader of the Western nations. Culturally they are the most influential to all the other nations, and due to their prosperity and central location they maintain peace and co-operation among the other nations of the West. When the East made official contact, the Fudorians received them, and negotionated teaties with the ambassadors of the East. Since that time, the Fudorians have communciated with the other Western nations and represented their interests to the Blue Ship ambassadors every year since. As the Fudorians have dealth with them honestly, and kept the needs and demands of the other nations clear, there has never been much opposition to them filling this role. Fudorians ~ Briandynians: The Briandynians have always held a fascination for the Fudorians, partly because they are so much shorter lived than Briandynians, but also because of the other Western Races they are the most similar to Briandynians. Briandynians often seduce Fudorians and hold them as temporary lovers, and occassionally Agrimon come of these pairings, though if it is a Fudorian mother adn Briandynian father, the chance of maternal mortality is about 40%. In politics they deal with the Fudorians with polite dismissal; in person, Briandynians tend to treat the Fudorians as simpler, lesser or inferior. They regard them as one would a favoured pet, rather than as an equal. Fudorians ~ Ter'ays: The Ter'ays consider the Fudorian males their equals, but treat their women as harshly as they treat their own females. In trade, policy, military and academic grounds they confer with the Fudorians frequently. They also have learned to come to the Fudorians when they have an issue with one of the other nations to avoid outright warfare with the Koholeans or Briandynians. They have no qualms about enslaving Fudorians in their own lands, and often try to convert Fudorians to their faith. Agrimon of Ter'ays and Fudorian parentage are common enough, but are still shunned in Ter'ays. While they are accepted as commoners or servants in Enverres, they are no better than slaves in Ter'ays. Fudorians ~ Koholeans: The Koholeans and the Fudorians have a similar relationship as do the Ter'ays and the Fudorians. The Koholeans consider the Fudorians equals, and exalt their women who often don't know quite how to take their preferences. Occassionally Agrimon arise between these two races, but they are shunned in both cultures as they do not have the strengths of either race, but possess weaknesses from both. The Koholeans rarely confer with the Fudorians on policy of military means, but often refer to them for scholastic, educational or cultural influences. Fudorians ~ Val Nyes: The Val Nyes are more likely to deal with the Fudorians in an optimistic and friendly manner if the Val Nyes are the visitor. They tend to be a bit resentful of any of the Big People coming into their tunnels and clogging up the flow of traffic with their bulk. Still, in goods and trade, the Val Nyes and the Fudorians see eye to eye. The Fudorian are the normal means of introduction for the distant Val Nyes with the markets of the world, and the Val Nyes deal fairly with them in policy to maintain this good trade relationship. They think the Fudorians are gangly and funny looking, but in a kind and patronizing way. There are almost never Agrimon between these two races, and when they do arise, they are considered freaks. '''Economy: The Fudorians use a monetary system of coinage. There are three groupings of coins: Teh'lon, Oh'lon and Ma'lon. History: Category:Enverres Category:Western continent Category:Country Category:Fudorians